Change of Situation
by Emma Jay Bentley
Summary: Final story featuring Amy Novak, the Novak sister's have an argument and could miss out on the chance to make things up thanks to some mysterious phone calls and a missing relative.
1. Chapter 1

Change of situation - SVU

Chapter 1

The sound of children crying echoed through the large townhouse as the phone continued to let out its shrill ring. Footsteps pounding down the stairs and a shout out to answer the ruddy phone.

"Yes?" Jack McAllister asked angrily stood in the hallway wearing nothing but a pair of batman boxer shorts. There was no answer as he stood there listening as the line went dead and his wife called him back upstairs to help settle the children. Walking into the master bedroom Jack found himself angry at the caller for throwing their entire family into disarray, his wife Amy needed to be up in just over 2 hours to go to work and their 2 young children needed their sleep otherwise they'd be problematic the next day. The twins took almost an hour to settle down, Ethan dropping off first in his mother's arms and then Ellen falling back to sleep after being walked around the house 8 times in her father's arms. Crawling back into bed next to his wife Jack yawned and Amy snuggled into his shoulder.

"They're going to be a nightmare today." She said with a sigh, her mother was meant to be having them, but the 2 18 month olds were tricky to deal with when they were tired and her mother wasn't getting any younger, Amy felt guilty that she'd be leaving her mother to look after them.

Jack too sighed before reminding his wife that her mother had raised six children including terror inducing twins Casey and Cody, so she'd be fine with the McAllister munchkins as they were affectionately known to the detectives at the 1-6 and the Novak family. Jack could have sworn he'd only just fallen back to sleep when he felt his wife get up, he went to get out of bed with her but she pushed him back down placing a kiss on his lips, "sleep" she whispered, "I'll see you later." She added and Jack closed his eyes again soon drifting back to sleep while Amy got ready for work, cursing the fact that her job got her up at stupid o'clock in the morning.

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Amy found herself struggling to keep her eyes open later that morning as she filled in the paperwork for the raid she'd been part of that morning at 5am. Due to her previous experience with the vice unit she'd been handpicked to assist them on some dawn raids to close down some prostitution rings. But she was exhausted, it had been the 3rd night in a row they'd been woken by the phone ringing and she was fed up with it as each time it woke the twins, and much like herself they didn't function well on next to no sleep.

"Don't tell me it happened again?" Olivia asked catching sight of how tired Amy looked. Amy nodded sitting back in her chair.

"And again number was barred, I've considered getting a trace done but can't until Higgins gets back from holiday as he owes me a favour." Amy replied referring to the tech that they usually got to do the phone tapping. "The calls are annoying themselves but it's everything else that goes with it," Amy sighed. "It took over an hour to settle Ethan and Ellen last night; Ellen didn't go back to sleep the night before, Ethan only slept with Jack next to him. And the first night was just as bad, poor Jack is exhausted and to be honest we can't go on like it." Amy admitted, it was hard seeing her husband and children in such a state.

"Leave it with me." Olivia offered seeing how tired her friend was, "I'll see if I can call in a favour."

"Thanks, I owe you one." Amy said sounding happier, she was glad of anything that could be done to help get a decent night's sleep.

"Not one, just one of your lasagnes." Olivia replied and Amy nodded her head more than pleased with the deal. One of her ways of getting things out of her fellow detectives was to provide them with a home cooked meal, Olivia especially was grateful for Amy's home cooking.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amy entered the townhouse just after 6 that evening, expecting to find her mother there she was shocked to find her sister Casey asleep on the sofa as the twins played on the floor. Spotting their mother the pair threw their toys aside and hurried to where Amy stood at the door.

"Mumma Auntie Case came to play." Ethan announced as Amy bent down to greet her children, Ethan was the better talker of the two but Ellen was louder.

"Nana sick!" Ellen shouted causing Casey to wake with a start as Amy picked up both children walking over to the sofa with a giggling toddler under each arm. They would soon be at the stage where Amy wouldn't be able to pick them both up like that; they were growing at an alarming rate. Her mother swore they'd both be as tall as their father, but Amy only hoped they were taller than her.

"Amy I'm sorry I just sat down for a second." Casey apologised with a yawn as Amy sat down with the children crawling over her. Amy nodded in understanding, her angels were hard work and full of energy, hard work especially for someone who hardly ever looked after them, but at least Casey had managed to give them their tea before falling asleep. Amy didn't mind, she was just glad to see her sister, Casey had hardly been around since her suspension and then been around even less since returning to work.

"You should have called and let me know mum wasn't well, I could have sorted something out." Amy said looking at the time and realising she should get the children bathed.

"I wanted to help out, I've missed so much with them, they've grown so much." Casey replied smiling at how relaxed her younger sister was with her kids crawling over her, Casey wondered how her sister had the energy after a full day at work and a night of broken sleep.

"It's ok; I know you've been busy. Do you feel like helping bath the terrors, then we can catch up later?" Amy suggested and Casey nodded happy to spend more time there.

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An hour later a soaking wet Casey joined a dry Amy in the kitchen, Jack had come home and was reading the twins a bedtime story. Casey questioned how her sister had remained so dry but had been shrugged off with the word 'practice.'

"So spill." Amy said placing a mug of coffee in front of her older sister and handing her a towel to dry herself off a little bit.

"What?" Casey asked. Amy gave her a look that Casey was sure would stop her nephew and niece in their tracks once they got older, it was one similar to the one that Mary Novak had used on all 6 of the Novak children at various times throughout the years. "I just realised I haven't really seen you and the kids in months, Ellen could hardly put words together the last time I saw her. And now she chats and chats." Casey admitted guiltily. Her sister had also changed since she'd last seen her, Casey couldn't help but notice a few specks of grey hidden in her baby sister's dark locks, and Amy looked very tired. Balancing a home, husband, 2 kids and a demanding job wasn't an easy task; it was bound to take it out of someone. Seeing her younger sister sat sipping at a cup of coffee Casey thought back to how tough Amy's pregnancy had been, and worried that her sister may not have fully recovered from her near fatal attack which left her with a weak right leg, before launching herself into motherhood.

"Ok, Ethan is back in his room, both tucked in and wanting a kiss from Mumma." Jack smiled as he walked into the kitchen holding a storybook, they'd lasted one story before starting to slip off which was a huge change from the night before when it had taken an hour of reading.

"On my way," Amy replied standing up from the table. "Do you want to stay over and have a drink?" She asked looking at Casey and then over to Jack who was now holding a bottle of beer, he nodded knowing that his input on the subject wouldn't matter anyway, Amy got her own way with him most of the time. Amy sensed that there was more to Casey's visit than met the eye so wanted to chat more to her sister.

"Sounds like a good idea thanks." Casey replied and happily Amy headed off to kiss her children goodnight.

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Tired from lack of sleep the previous few nights Jack went to bed early, unplugging the landline phones as he went, leaving the two sisters alone to talk.

"So," Amy sighed sinking down into the sofa, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Amy tucked her feet underneath herself and watched her sister closely. Casey shuffled a bit in her seat moving until her posture subconsciously mirrored that of her sister, she took a long drink from her glass of wine. "Do you ever get the feeling that life is leaving you behind?" Casey asked cryptically with a long sigh. Amy knew better than to respond and waited for Casey to continue. "All I see is everyone moving on and getting somewhere and I keep floundering with my suspension and demotion, I'm just stuck." Casey sighed again and Amy predicted that the next thing out of her sister's mouth would be about her, her marriage and her kids. Casey felt a little jealous of her sister for everything she had, the nice house, fantastic husband and adorable kids. Then there was the fact that financially the McAllister's were very secure and Amy didn't really need to go out to work. "I know this isn't a nice thing to say especially after everything you've been through but I can't help but ask why couldn't I be the one with the nice life? Why am I stuck in the office late every evening, going home to an empty apartment, it's not fair." Casey finished speaking very quietly and looked over at her younger sister who sat motionless as she tried to process her sister's words. It took well over a minute for Amy to respond and her words were harsh.

"Tell you what Casey, you deal with the victims from crime scene to court, see the fear in their eyes and understand exactly where it comes from. Fully be able to empathise with the rape victims who will never feel fully clean or safe ever again, be able to tell them the process from firsthand experience. Then deal with the nightmares that still come after a harrowing case. That's when you can ask that question. I can't believe you just asked me that, you of all people." Amy stood up and glared at her sister, "I'm going to bed, we'll deal with this," she pointed between herself and her sister, "Tomorrow." then without saying goodnight Amy headed off upstairs. Casey didn't hang around as the guilt of what she'd said to her sister kicked in, leaving her glass of wine on the side Casey left the big house as quickly and as quietly as she possibly could.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Silently seething over her sister's words Amy tossed and turned unable to sleep, she'd heard the door go and knew Casey had gone. Once upon a time Amy would have gone after her but Casey was an adult who needed to learn how to live with the consequences of her actions, Amy couldn't believe her sister was jealous and eventually gave up on the idea of sleeping to head back downstairs to clean the kitchen for something to do. At about 1am a cry came from Ellen's room and Amy spent the next 2 hours trying to get the toddler back to sleep, falling asleep herself with the tiny girl in her arms. Jack woke her a little after 6 with a cup of coffee and a concerned smile.

"You should have woken me up," He said taking Ellen from Amy and placing her gently into bed. The little girl was still sound asleep and Amy suspected she would be for a good few hours still. "So what happened with Casey?" Jack asked as they left the room and headed off downstairs, by the time he'd finished a bowl of cereal Amy had filled him in on everything that had happened.

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Amy was aching from sleeping in a chair all night and was limping slightly when she walked into the squad room, the look Olivia gave her suggested that Casey had told her about the events of the previous evening. Olivia didn't say anything, instead she just placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze before saying they had a new case and starting to fill her in on the details as Cragen emerged from his office to give them more information.

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"I managed to get a trace on who's been calling the house," Olivia said as the two female detectives made their way to the scene, "unfortunately it's a disposable cell that's unregistered." Olivia added and Amy simply shrugged her shoulders, she'd almost forgotten about the phone calls thanks to her problem with Casey. "So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing I can do if the number's not registered." Amy answered although she knew that wasn't what Olivia was on about, she'd started to think about it but every time she did she started to get angry, Casey's words really had upset her and forced her to think about one of the worst things that had ever happened to her. "What do you think I should do?" the pair stopped walking and turned to face one another. Olivia couldn't offer any advice as she didn't want to make the situation between the two women worse, she'd known the sisters long enough to know when to stay out of something and just be a shoulder. This was most definitely a shoulder situation.

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It was late when Amy made it home that evening; she was mentally and physically exhausted from trawling round the houses and apartments by their crime scene and getting nowhere. Olivia was stressed out over the lack of leads and the number of phone calls she'd had from Casey, Amy had spotted the number of times her sister's name had flashed up on the older woman's phone. Jack was asleep in the living room, Ellen sleeping soundly in his arms; it was a hard thing to see. Ellen usually struggled to sleep unless put to bed by her mother so Jack after a day of hard meetings would have had to bath, feed and put the kids to bed and then get his own dinner. It made her feel like she was failing as a wife and mother and made her feel bad for still going to work when they could manage with her staying at home. It was a feeling she was getting far too often, and usually when she was overtired.

xxxx

She put Ellen to bed and stood at the doorway watching her daughter sleep when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her, leaning back with a sigh she rested her head on her husband's chest saying sorry to him as she placed her hands over his.

"It's ok, and she eventually drifted off." Jack yawned as they headed towards their bedroom. "I was hoping for a Daddy's girl but she's certainly a mummy's one." Amy sat on the bed and watched Jack take off his tie and begin to get ready for bed. Again Amy went to apologise but Jack stopped her, "I honestly completely understand, I do." He hesitated and looked up at his wife.

"But?" Amy asked taking her shoes off and picking up her pyjamas before turning to face him.

"I would like you to be happier, more relaxed and less worried that you're letting someone down by not being here or at the precinct." He admitted taking hold of his wife's hand.

"So you think I should leave the force?" Amy asked and Jack didn't answer. She took a deep breath and took a step away from him, "ok, I get you." Amy headed to the door and Jack asked her where she was going, her response was Ellen's room as she had a feeling the girl would be awake soon and need her mother and left the room, for once Jack didn't follow her as he knew they'd only end up arguing.

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After a night of tossing and turning and 2 anonymous phone calls waking up both children each time, Amy was awake early, by the time Jack came downstairs Amy had made and frozen several meals for the next week and finished the ironing.

"Sorry, I was tried and took it out on you. It's just that I see you worked up, not sleeping, stressed, and then there's this whole Casey thing." Jack sighed taking hold of both of Amy's hands. "I love you and I care, all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy." Finishing he placed a gentle kiss on her lips and she melted into his arms feeling safe and starting to relax, and then like clockwork the twins woke up shouting for mummy. "I'll get started on breakfast." Jack said giving Amy a quick kiss before she headed off upstairs.

Returning with a child holding onto each hand Amy smiled at the pancakes and syrup that were waiting for them, putting the events of the previous night to one side to enjoy a family breakfast, they were very much a rare treat and it was even rarer for Amy to be able to simply sit and eat rather than doing the cooking for it. Jack was many things but good in the kitchen wasn't one of them.

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"You look." Eliot started as Amy walked into the office; she really did look tired and like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders. Olivia had filled him in on the rift with Casey and he felt angry on Amy's behalf, he was planning on keeping an extra eye on the younger woman to make sure she was ok.

"2 more calls which woke the twins up, and it's taking forever to get them to settle down again. If I ever find out who's making them I'll wring their necks. And shoot other parts of them." She yawned plonking herself down at her desk; sighing at the amount of paperwork she had waiting for her, she didn't remember there being that much the evening before.

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	4. Chapter 4

Change of situation - SVU

Chapter 4

A lucky break meant that they solved their latest case in record time, and Eliot was kind enough to finish off the rest of the paperwork connected to it. He also kept her topped up on coffee and biscuits throughout the day, even buying her lunch so they could have a chat.

Over lunch they spoke about the Casey situation, and Amy came to the conclusion that she had to take the higher ground and take the first step with her elder sibling, as she doubted Casey would make the first step. Then Eliot gave her some food for thought over her argument with Jack, making her seriously start to consider her future with the NYPD. "Only you can make that decision and now is not the right time for you to make it, you're stressed and exhausted and really need to put some thought into it." Eliot finished before they headed back to the office. Upon returning to the office Cragen took one look at Amy and told her she'd be on desk duty the rest of the day, Eliot gave her a small smile before heading to his own desk.

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Amy left work early and went to pick up some things for dinner, whilst in the shop she had 3 anonymous phone calls where the line went dead the moment she answered it. When she got home her mother was sat in the back yard playing with the twins, Amy stopped and simply watched the elderly woman enjoying herself with her youngest grandchildren, as she did she couldn't help but notice how alike her mother and sister were in terms of physical appearance.

"Mumma!" Twin voices echoed out and ran towards her, Amy smiled bending down to give both children a hug and then give her mother one. As Mary Novak hugged her youngest child she commented on how tired she looked, and added that she should phone Casey. Amy's response was an exasperated sigh as she sat on the grass to play with the children, "I will mum, but she said some horrible things."

"That she really is beating herself up over," Mary replied in a soft voice. "And you my dear are going to have to be the bigger person." Amy told her mother she'd already been told that but just wasn't sure how to do it; her mother took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "By just being yourself. Now let's get these two some dinner." Mary added standing up and heading into the house.

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Taking advantage of her mother still being around Amy took the time to have a hot bath hoping it would relax her, returning downstairs she found dinner waiting with her mother gone and Jack pouring her a large glass of wine.

"Children have gone to grandparents for the night as your mum thinks you need a break, and I can't help but agree." Jack smiled handing the glass to her as she sat down. As they were about to start eating the phone rang, as Amy guessed as Jack answered it there was nobody on the other end.

"Tomorrow we'll get the number changed and only give it to our parent's, everyone else calls us on our mobiles." Amy sighed topping up her wineglass and doing the same for Jack.

"I'll ring the phone company first thing in the morning." Jack nodded before the pair enjoyed a rare evening with just the two of them.

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"Hey Casey it's me, erm I'm off today and wondered if you were free for lunch or to grab a coffee or something. We can't leave 'this' hanging; we need to work things out so please call me back." Amy ended the call with a sigh, she was at home with the twins enjoying a rare day off during the week, she'd emailed and already tried calling her sister and if she didn't hear back she'd call one of their siblings to see if she'd spoken to them. Casey's twin Cody was sat across from her on the sofa and had been spoken to by Casey about what had happened but hadn't heard from her since then, he'd come to check Amy was ok following his mother phoning him to say she was tired. He thought Casey would have probably gone to their older sister for advice as she'd be able to put things into perspective, or to Brandon the middle Novak son. Sophie wasn't answering her phone but Brandon said he hadn't seen or heard from Casey in weeks.

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By 7pm Amy was fuming, Casey had not returned her calls and Sophie hadn't spoken to her since the day before, Amy had smiled when her eldest sister told her she'd given Casey an ear bashing. Amy was a little relieved that her sister had defended her and seen her side for once, she'd expected her to side with Casey and explain that Casey had experienced a really tough time recently and needed their support.

"I'll ring around the others, see if they've seen or heard from her and get back to you, and good for you for being the grown up." Sophie said sounding proud.

"Thanks Soph, I'll hopefully see you at the weekend." Amy said and the two sisters ended their call.

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Amy was so antsy when Jack arrived home that he practically shoved her out of the door ordering her to go to Casey's and sort everything out, he just wanted everything to be sorted as Amy didn't need extra stress being placed on her. Agreeing with her husband she took her car keys and drove to Casey's apartment, arriving and pressing the buzzer several times there was no response, nor was there any from phoning home and cell.

"Casey if you're there I'm letting myself in." Amy left a message and then pulled out her key to Casey's building, letting herself in she quickly hurried up to Casey's floor only stopping when she spotted the door slightly ajar looking like it had been forced open.

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	5. Chapter 5

I really don't know if people are reading this but I'm going to carry on regardless.

Chapter 5

Debating whether or not to phone it in or barge into the apartment Amy pulled out her gun, mentally thanking herself for taking her gun with her out of habit when she left her home. Hearing a noise from inside Amy took a deep breath and went to the door. Unable to hear anything else she slowly nudged the door open with gun pointed at the ready, "NYPD, Casey you here?" Amy called out scanning the room carefully starting to worry at its state; everything was a mess clothes, books and furniture thrown about. Casey was nowhere to be found and the noise Amy had heard was the radio that was on in the bathroom, where there was blood and signs of a struggle, heart in her mouth Amy called the police to report the break in and potential abduction of her big sister.

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Eliot was one of the first people to arrive at the scene and pulled the younger woman into a hug sensing she needed the support, he tried to tell her that Casey was going to be ok but she couldn't believe it. Stepping out of Eliot's embrace she placed her hands on her face and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I need to call my parents, and and Cody." She stammered her eyes scanning the apartment to see if she was missing anything, but she couldn't spot anything wrong aside from the state of it.

"Ok but go home, leave the crime scene guys to investigate, officers are looking for her, and we'll be on this overnight." Eliot tried to appease her but it wasn't working, she was on a whole other planet at that moment in time.

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Eliot and Olivia watched as Amy sat on the steps at the entrance to Casey's building phone in hand to call her family, any one of the SVU detectives would have been willing to call but they knew Amy needed to. Olivia watched Amy running her fingers through her hair and dial, she was stood away so she didn't hear what was being said or to whom and was called away to speak to one of the crime scene techs. Amy returned to the apartment fifteen minutes later looking like hell, she was close to tears but with a determined look in her eyes.

"Our parents are coming to the city, they're going to stay with me until all this is over," she sighed running her hand over her mouth. "Cody's not seen or heard from her but say's his twin sense is positive that she's not hurt." That was said with a smile followed by a sigh. "I can't go home unless I have her with me, I can't face my parents knowing that the last time I saw my sister we had a row. If something happened I'd ... I'd never forgive myself" Amy stuttered as tears poured down her cheeks, Olivia placed a hand on her shoulders nodding, she'd tell the younger woman to go home but knew all she'd do would be shower, change and kiss her kids. Both Olivia and Eliot knew how stubborn the youngest Novak could be.

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Amy didn't realise she was cold until she had a jacket placed over her shoulders by Munch as he led her to her car guiding her into the passenger seat, she didn't realise she was thirsty until Fin passed her a coffee loaded with extra sugar. It had been 4 hours since she'd called her parents, 4 hours of processing and now they were headed back to the precinct to review Casey's cases. There were so many they didn't know where to start, each detective took one case and started a list of potential suspects, by noon they had a very long list.

xxxx

A hand on her shoulder startled her; she shot up and turned around to see the concerned face of her husband who had the twins with him.

"Mumma." Ellen smiled holding out her arms to be picked up, fighting back tears an exhausted Amy scooped her daughter into her arms.

"Ma!" Ethan smiled reaching out from his position in his father's arms to his mother; happily Amy moved Ellen so she could hold both children and sat down at her desk with them. Breathing in their scent Amy momentarily relaxed, the shampoo smell and fabric softener took her home.

"We missed you, and they were constantly crying for you." Jack said kneeling down next to his wife's desk and giving her a soft kiss, he didn't add that the house was so full he needed to escape or that he was so worried about his wife not having a break he decided to force her to have one. "How you holding up?" Jack asked looking around the room and seeing how tired everyone was. Amy just sighed holding onto the twins, her look said everything he needed to know before she asked how her parents were holding up.

"They look a whole lot better than you do, but you never look good when you're feeling guilty." Amy went to argue but knew he was right; she had an overwhelming feeling of guilt.

"You know I'm now starting to understand what George meant when he said how helpless he felt when I was the one..." She trailed off but Jack knew what she was on about, after her rape her eldest brother George had felt so helpless he couldn't cope. He felt like he'd let their parents down by the consequences of her walking home from practice on her own, and it had taken him a long time to get over it.

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Casey's words from their argument echoing in her ears Amy shot up from where she'd fallen asleep at her desk, most of the squad had gone home to sleep but Amy was determined to find something. 2 am and there was nothing standing out, there was a list of suspects who'd been checked out and there were no new leads. Amy was heading for some coffee to wake herself up when her phone rang, it was an unknown number and when she answered it there was nothing.

"Casey?" Amy asked desperately, cogs turning in her head as she tried to think of a way to keep the line open and call for a trace at the same time. Luckily she didn't have to think much as Olivia walked into the room and Amy managed to get her to call in a trace whilst Amy tried to get the person at the end of the line to talk. "Is Casey there?" Amy asked, her voice sounded a little hoarse. "If you have her can you let us know she's alright?" There was silence but the line continued to remain open, Olivia had her own phone to her ear waiting to hear from the trace, the only thing they could really do was to keep the line open for as long as possible. "Why are you doing this?" Amy asked sitting down at her desk and sighing. "If you're trying to get to me you're doing a good job, you've successfully managed to strike at my entire family. Casey is." Before she could continue the line went dead. Amy put her phone down and looked at Olivia who gave her a thumbs up, Amy then started sobbing, it took a few minutes for her to pull herself together. "Why did you come back?" Amy asked suddenly once she'd collected herself.

"Figured you'd still be here and I didn't want you to be on your own." Olivia admitted before being pulled into a hug by her friend. "We've got an idea on a location; I'll call the others in." Olivia added before suggesting Amy go and rinse her face in the bathroom.

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"Ok the area has no link at all to any of Casey's cases, but it has connections to the Novak family." Munch said just over 2 hours later, the entire squad was back in and working on the case. The area in question was only 5 miles away from where the Novak children had grown up.

"We need to speak to the Novak's to see if any of the streets in that area hold a specific meaning." Cragen said before mentally kicking himself as Amy's expression told him everything he needed to know.

"How specific do you want to be on the street?" Amy quipped before throwing down the pen she was holding and storming out of the room.

"I hate to say it but I feel we need to focus on that street." Eliot said as he watched Olivia follow the younger detective out of the room. They all knew he was right but they didn't want to admit it or even face opening up the can of worms that would go along with it.

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Olivia found Amy up on the roof struggling to breathe, Olivia couldn't begin to imagine what was running through the younger woman's head, the feelings that a simple street name could conjure up and the memories that haunted her as a result of it.

"It's my fault." Amy said taking in a deep breath, "why else would it be there?" she was starting to panic so Olivia got her to sit down on a chair placing her head between her legs. "If anything happens..." her breaths got shorter and she was turning very pale, Olivia shouted for help as Amy collapsed on the roof of the 1-6.

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"You need to go home." Melinda told Amy as she finished checking her blood pressure which was dangerously high, at least the detective was breathing more steadily. Amy shook her head, and was going to argue until Cragen came in and told her she'd be suspended if she didn't go home, and that Fin was going to take her home to Jack and her parents as they needed her with them.

"We will keep you fully informed and Fin will be there with you in case you get any more calls, there's nothing else you can do, you're no use to anyone dead on your feet." Cragen said and at that Amy nodded, if the investigation was going down the route it appeared to be then there was no way she could stay at the 1-6, and as much as she wanted too she couldn't go with them to that street, she'd spent most of her life trying to avoid thinking about it, she wanted to help her sister but she suspected fear would take over when she got near there.

"I think you need to look into the family of Winston Grant," Amy admitted and she didn't say anymore.

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Amy crawled straight into bed the second she got home and soon after felt 2 small bodies appear next to her even though it was very early in the morning, she told Jack about the lead but didn't want to tell her parents until they heard anything else, she didn't want them to blame her because she was blaming herself enough for everyone.

"Love you Mumma." Ellen yawned; the last thing Amy remembered before falling asleep was Ellen's hand grabbing hold of her mother's hand and the little girl sighing contentedly, snuggling deeper into her mother's warm body.

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"Winston Grant has a son, Walter, aged 36, been visiting his father in prison recently." Eliot filled the team in.

"Lived with his mother in Philadelphia until a few months ago when he moved to New York and got into contact with his father." Olivia added pinning a picture of him to the board.

"Ok, Olivia and Eliot you two go to his place, Cabot is working on a warrant, Munch and I are going to see what the search of the area brings up. CCTV footage around the area is being examined for any signs of Casey, and we've got uniforms canvassing Casey's neighbourhood with pictures of Grant." Cragen said before telling his team to get to work, he just wanted to get the attorney back home safe without having to dredge up Amy's past in the process. The investigation of the young woman's rape had shaken the team to the core, the least said about it during this investigation the better it would be for them.

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Olivia felt anxious as she looked in the apartment of Walter Grant, she didn't know if she wanted to find anything and she was slightly afraid of what she was going to find. She was mentally and physically exhausted but determined to keep on going until they found something. After checking in 2 rooms she heard Eliot shout her and followed his voice into a study where they came across a wall full of pictures. 2 faces stood out clearly on them, Amy and Casey Novak.

"The bastard has her." Eliot said through gritted teeth going to phone Cragen.

"And what are the odds to say that he'll be going after Amy?" Olivia asked pulling out her own phone to call Amy.

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"I just need some air that's all." Amy tried to explain to Jack and Fin who were trying to stop her from leaving the house, she'd slept for 3 hours, spoken to her parents, eaten, showered and now she wanted to walk around the block. "I'll even take my gun." She added and reluctantly Fin agreed stepping aside to let the armed detective leave her own house.

"But if you're not back in 20 I'm calling a car to come find you." Fin ordered and Amy nodded stepping out onto the street.

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The air was cold so Amy zipped her coat up fully and turned her I-pod up to the highest volume before shoving her hands in her pockets and walking hard and fast, hardly noticing when she bumped into someone at the end of her street until she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into some eyes that were scarily familiar. A hand was placed over her mouth as she tried to scream, reaching for her gun her hand was twisted, fighting back she managed to get her finger on the trigger, kicking hard but struggling against the power of her attacker, taking a panicked breath she squeezed her index finger bracing herself from the kickback of the gun firing and realising too late that her attacker had forced the gun into her leg. The shot echoed out on the quiet street and she felt blinding pain before being knocked unconscious, her last thought being of the eyes she'd seen.

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Fin and Jack raced out hearing the gun shot, Fin's phone ringing as they raced up the street, a van tearing away as they reached the corner, Jack spotted blood on the floor and sank to his knees.

"He got her." Fin said into the phone, no explanation was needed.

"We're on our way." Olivia replied.

xxxx

Cragen went white as the information was relayed to him, he felt guilty for sending Amy home, had he let her stay at the 1-6 she'd still be with them and he wouldn't be looking for 2 women. There wouldn't be a distraught husband sat cradling his 2 small children praying that everything was going to be alright. There wouldn't be a family already close to breaking point dealing with the knowledge that someone had taken yet another one of its members. Cragen only hoped that Grant would be happy now that he had Amy and wouldn't make a move for the eldest Novak daughter Sophie; he'd already placed a unit on her to be safe rather than sorry.

"We end this today." Cragen said out loud starling Munch who nodded in agreement and started driving a little bit faster towards their destination, they were hoping that as Grant was in the city they'd possibly have time to go and find Casey or lay in wait for him to come with Amy.

xxxx

Amy's first thought with regards the pain in her leg was that at least she'd managed to shoot herself in the bad one so she still had one good leg; the second was that it was still bleeping quite heavily. She registered that she was in the back of a van, gagged and her legs were tied together by what she recognised as being one of Casey's scarves, she knew it was her sister's as she's bought it her on her last birthday. She didn't know how long she'd been unconscious but the sounds told her they were still in the city. The only positive thought was that at least she'd probably get to Casey; she just hoped she wasn't too late, before the fear gripped her that Winston Grant was out of prison and looking for revenge.

xxxx

"Van is registered to Walter Grant, was spotted on camera around Casey's apartment the nights preceding her abduction, it's also been clocked in the area surrounding the McAllister residence and around the street of Amy's rape." Eliot said feeling very worried; Fin had said there'd been a fair bit of blood on Amy's street.

"The timing of Grant visiting his father in prison coincides with the McAllister's receiving those phone calls." Olivia replied, her mind replaying the events of the last few days to see where they went wrong. She couldn't believe they could miss something as big as they had done, but she couldn't understand why he'd gone for Casey first.

"Opportunity, and then again with Amy, but if he's taken Amy we have to assume that Casey is still alive, he'll probably try to get them to turn against one another, get Casey to blame her sister for her being taken." Huang offered trying to give them more of an insight into Grant's psyche. "His main target will be Amy, and he'll be thrilled that she's been shot, but he won't let her die yet. He'll want revenge for his father being imprisoned and kept away from him; he'll prolong her suffering, and most likely get Casey to inflict some of the pain."

"Is Casey still in the building?" Olivia asked and Huang shook his head, he suspected that Casey would have been taken to another location before he went to try and get Amy, but she wouldn't have been moved far. That would be too much of a risky move.

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	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to those who are reading.

Change of situation - SVU

Chapter 7

To say Casey was scared was an understatement, she'd been tied up, force fed and then dragged from what felt like pillar to post. She wasn't sure how many hours had passed since she'd been dragged out of her apartment but she knew she'd past the 24 hour mark, so she knew she was lucky to be alive statistically speaking. Her captor hadn't taken his mask off, she'd been caught unawares by the man who'd followed her upstairs into her apartment and who'd snuck up on her whilst she'd been showering causing her to hit her head on the floor. Coming around she found herself dressed in men's clothes and in a dark room, she'd been there until he'd moved her a few hours ago. She wondered if they'd noticed that she was missing, surely one of her family would have tried calling her and raised the alarm? But then again most of the family had sided with Amy so probably wouldn't call her. She wondered if Amy would make the call, if Amy would be able to face her and find she was missing. Tears fell down Casey's face as she worried that she'd never see her baby sister again, wondered how her sister would cope knowing the last words they'd said to one another had been hard and full of hurt.

xxxx

Casey closed her eyes as the light came on, squinting she watched the door opening and a body being dragged inside struggling and fighting against the strong tall body. Casey's heart was pounding as the body was simply thrown down on the floor and kicked into the corner before the captor stormed out slamming the door and the lights went out.

The only noises for a few seconds were the ragged breaths coming from the corner, and Casey was certain there was something familiar about the breaths, almost too terrified to speak Casey forced herself to speak out.

"Amy?" Casey whispered but no voice came back, the only thing was a mumbled response and a tapping sound. "Tap once for no, twice for yes. Amy?" Casey asked desperately not sure she wanted to hear 2 taps on the floor. Fresh tears falling down her face as one tap and then a second one came, she was tied to a chair able to speak and her sister was in a heap on the floor unable to speak. "Are ... is this a trap for him?" Casey asked already guessing she'd only get one tap in response, she knew if possible Amy would have come in kicking the door down waving a gun at the man who'd taken her hostage. Vaguely recalling seeing blood as the lights were on Casey forced herself to ask her sister if she was ok, the two taps however did little to reassure her. Amy wouldn't tell her if she was actually hurt, Casey felt more desperate about her situation knowing her sister was not only captured but injured too, she'd been banking on Amy getting her out of the mess she was in and there wasn't much chance of that if she was hurt and losing blood.

xxxx

Desperate – that was the best way to sum up the mood of the SVU team. Fin was beside himself with guilt for taking his eyes off of the younger detective; his thoughts were with her family, he was determined to get the mother home to her two young children who were blissfully unaware that their mother was in a life threatening situation. They were too young to understand, but they still knew mummy was gone, Fin had felt so sorry for Jack when Ellen had asked where had mummy gone, Jack had simply said to find Auntie Casey before giving her a hug.

"We'll scour every millimetre of this city if we have to in order to find them." Eliot said trying to make his friend feel better but he knew it was no use. He too was feeling guilty about him and Olivia not finding the evidence sooner, if only they'd gotten to the apartment a few minutes earlier they'd still have Amy their helping them, keeping them going. Now all they were all left with was the feeling of guilt, and the desire to find their friends and bring them home safe to their family.

xxxx

"Anywhere that could be of significance to Grant, his father or the Novak's." Cragen said pointing to the map, there were countless locations and they were going to check them all.

"Novak households all checked with a uniform posted. Workplaces all clear for them. They've lived in the same house since before Casey was born so we know that's clear." Olivia informed the assembled group, and they were keeping an unmarked car outside of the McAllister house as a precaution.

"Focus more on the attack of Amy, where was it, what route was she taking, what did she pass? That's what we're looking for." Huang added and locations started being circled from the reports of Amy's rape.

"Captain they've found something." Munch said returning to the assembled group; crime scene investigators had just been searching a building they'd spotted Grant moving things in and out of. Going inside the team spotted more photos of the Novak women, recent ones of Amy since Casey's abduction, they also found detailed maps showing the route between the houses and workplaces of the two sisters, it was obvious everything had been well planned.

xxxx

Unsure of how much time had passed Casey listened to her sister's still ragged breathing, desperate for her to speak but knowing it wasn't possible Casey momentarily wished she'd leaned Morse code as a child. Knowing there was little more to do than just talk Casey started speaking, thinking that she could say her peace without Amy interrupting.

"I'm sorry, I never thought that what I'd say would come out the way it did, I never meant to hurt you. It's just that I got so wrapped up in what felt like falling behind I didn't realise what I had in the present." Casey paused and took a breath. "I shouldn't have said what I said, I can only pretend to understand the things that you've gone through and I'm sorry. I just hope that it doesn't ruin everything between us because I love you Amy, ever since you were born I've loved you, and I'm sorry I let you down again." Unashamed Casey broke down in sobs, "I just want to get out of here and go home, I want to try and put things right." Casey was speaking from the heart and wished Amy could say something back.

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	8. Chapter 8

This was a hard chapter to write.

Chapter 8

The door flung open as the lights came on, Casey again struggled to adjust to the change in light but slowly started to make out her sisters silhouette on the floor. Biting back a gasp at the blood stained leg of her sister Casey looked into her younger sister's eyes for the first time since their argument. For a second Casey was worried that all she'd see would be hate directed at her but there wasn't any, she gazed at her sister's eyes that showed nothing but love and a determination, Casey knew that the determination was to simply get out of the situation they were in, to survive and to get back home. She wondered what her own eyes were telling her sister, 'probably that I'm terrified' Casey thought, she just hoped that her eyes told her sister how sorry she was.

Their captor walked up to Casey who caught a glimpse of a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, Amy's expression changed to one of fear, fear that she was about to watch her sister die. Grant slashed the bounds that held Casey to the chair but held the gun to her head.

"Up." Was all he said and Casey immediately did as he was told, biting back sobs, almost screaming as he held out the knife to her. "Grab it." Was the next instruction and Casey reached out to take it with her hands trembling, looking at her sister on the floor she knew what was most likely to be coming next.

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Sirens blaring out as loud as they could, a series of cars driving as fast as they physically were able, the SVU team had a destination. Winston Grant's house. It made sense that Grant would have taken the girls home, home to where he'd grown up with his parents before they split. Somewhere he felt safe, somewhere he could be in control, and somewhere he could sneak into as that part of town was deserted during the day with people working out of town, and its location tied into the route taken by Amy, she'd passed by that area all those years ago on her way home.

"Sirens off now, what have surveillance found?" Cragen ordered and asked, he was starting to feel the pressure but was determined to see this through to the end.

"The van was spotted turning off onto a side street, which leads to the house where Grant grew up, where his father lived at the time of Amy's assault." Munch replied watching as Eliot said a silent prayer for the two women they were desperately searching for.

"SWAT are on their way." Olivia added closing her phone praying for the nightmare to soon be over, she was desperate to be able to see both women again and do something as menial as talk about the weather with them.

xxxx

Casey was forced to kneel down holding the knife in her hands which started to shake even more as the full realisation of what she was probably going to have to do kick in. She could feel the gun pressing against her temple, her sister's breathing getting more and more ragged, her eyes full of fear and tears streaming down her cheeks. Casey thought of how exhausted her sister looked before being given her first instruction.

"Cut her jacket and shirt open." He hissed pressing the gun in harder, Casey looked at her sister who nodded, with one hand holding the knife Casey reached out a trembling hand to lift up her sister's coat and shirt before slicing them open to reveal her sister's stomach. Closing her eyes Casey waited for the next instruction, wondering how far she was going to be pushed and how far she was willing to go. "Now draw in your initial." His voice was set, "Deep, around the belly button." He added. Casey watched as tears fell down her sister's face more rapidly, Amy's eyes now closed.

"I ... I ... I can't." Casey stammered sobbing and putting the knife down, she heard a catch being pulled on the gun next to her head.

"Do it or you die," He ordered. "You both die if you don't – that I promise."

"I told you I can't." Casey said with her eyes closed waiting for his reaction, surprisingly the next thing she heard was two resounding taps and then a groan as her sister was kicked hard in the side.

xxxx

Heat devices showed that there were 3 bodies in the building, 3 of them in the same room. One standing up, one kneeling down and the third down on the floor. All 3 were moving slightly which the SVU detectives took to be a good sign. However none of them could escape the feeling of dread that filled them as they looked at the old abandoned house, experience told them that what they found in there wouldn't be pretty.

xxxx

As he'd kicked Amy she'd moved and her gag had become loose so she was able to speak, Grant gave the instruction to Casey again, his finger still poised at the trigger, the gun pushing so hard into Casey's head it was hurting.

"Casey please just do it." Amy begged her big sister, thinking they needed to do as asked to maximize the chances of both of them making it out of there alive. All he wanted so far was Amy injured, not dead, if they could hang on the detectives would find them – at least that's what Amy was telling herself. If it hurt and she screamed maybe it'd get the attention of people nearby, increase their chances of being rescued. She didn't dare to think about the other possible outcome of her screaming in pain, she just hoped that if she did die Casey wouldn't feel too guilty about it and make it back home to their family.

"I can't." Casey sobbed trembling uncontrollably; she was facing the worst thing she'd ever been asked to do and was terrified.

"If you love me you'll do it." Amy said trying to look her sister in the eye but at that moment she couldn't find Casey's eyes.

"You heard her, do it." Grant ordered. Casey, finding some inner strength and looking her sister in the eye getting a nod moved the knife to the stomach of the younger woman. Amy closed her own eyes and gritted her teeth as she felt the tip of the knife pressing against her stomach, her heart pounding, her breaths rapid waiting for the skin to be pierced.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Change of situation - SVU

Chapter 9

SWAT were ready and waiting for the order to go in, the detectives of the 1-6 were all stood with baited breath, hoping for the best but fearing for the worst when Cragen gave the order for them to go in. As the door was kicked open a high pitched scream rang out, immediately Olivia reached out to grab hold of Eliot, she knew the scream, it was Amy's.

"She'll be ok." Eliot said more for his own sake than for Olivia's, he couldn't bring himself to think about what the scream meant, it wasn't good at all.

xxxx

"That's a good girl." Grant said stroking Casey's head and pulling the gun away. Casey herself turned her head and threw up, she was disgusted with what she'd done, her hands were covered with blood. Her heart was in her throat as she'd felt the knife moving and hearing her sister's scream ringing out. She'd never be able to forgive herself for what she'd done; even though she knew that had she not done it one of the two of them would now be dead. But that didn't make the pain of what she'd done easier.

xxxx

The scream had masked the sound of the SWAT team coming in, quickly and quietly making their way through the old house, checking in every room. The kitchen was in a filthy state, mould growing on bread which adorned the counter, cockroaches scurrying across the floor, dishes in the sink that were covered in cobwebs. Coming in behind the SWAT team Olivia and Eliot took in everything, the state of the house glaring out against the organisation of Grant, he'd had to have been organised to get the two women, especially as they were often surrounded by other people.

xxxx

He took the knife out of Casey's hand and placed it on the floor; grabbing her by the arm he kicked Amy as hard as he could in her bleeding stomach earning a moan in response.

xxxx

Hearing a slight noise SWAT made their way down to the basement guns trained. The house silent and dark, Olivia could almost hear her own heart beating with nerves and anticipation of what they were possibly going to find.

xxxx

Casey was dragged back to the chair and tied to it even tighter than she was before, the bounds cutting into her wrists but the pain didn't bother her like it normally would have done. She just kept on looking at her sister, sobbing and saying sorry repeatedly until Grant slapped her and pressed the gun to her forehead.

"Shut it or I'll make you shoot her next." He promised, and Casey knew his threat to be very real.

xxxx

Eliot and Olivia stood with their own guns trained as the SWAT team prepared to kick the door down to the room that now remained to be checked. They'd heard dragging; they could hear sobs and a muffled voice, the at least took that as a good sign that at least one of the sisters was still alive behind the door.

xxxx

To Amy the pain in her stomach was nothing compared to the look of pain on her sister's face, she knew Casey would struggle to recover from what she'd just done, the emotional trauma of the last few minutes would be forever etched in her mind. She'd winced as Casey had been slapped harder than she'd seen anyone ever slapped; her heart broke as she heard the sobs coming from her sister wishing that they could be anywhere else but where they were. She was helpless, and for her that was the worst feeling in the world, helpless had been how she'd felt all those years ago as a teenager, and that thought scared her. Her eyes closing to think about her husband and children, needing to cling on to good thoughts she momentarily relaxed, thoughts of her babies filling her mind. Then her eyes shot open as the door came flying off of its hinges, closely followed by a bang and a piercing pain in her chest. The last thing she saw was Grant falling to the floor as he was shot by at least 2 different SWAT team members, then everything went black.

xxxx

Casey wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved or frightened when the door burst opened, Grant had reacted instantaneously turning and firing straight at Amy's body, Casey had seen the second that her sister had realised what was happening. The split moment of joy at their discovery and then the pain from the bullet ripping into her chest. The noise was deafening in the small room, her eyes remaining fixed on her sister as her eyes closed, Casey screaming out her name but her voice unheard as two bullets found their way into the body of their captor knocking him straight to the floor, one to the head, one to the chest – there was no doubt that he was dead.

xxxx

Casey was led out and fell straight into Olivia's arms, the SWAT team called out for an ambulance, Olivia and Eliot shared a look and he ran into the small room, his eyes taking in the amount of blood on the floor and the two bodies lying motionless.

"Is she?" He asked looking at Amy's body before having to rush out of the room pushing past Casey and Olivia to go and throw up outside. The sight of the younger detective's stomach turning his stomach more than anything ever had and he'd seen a lot of grisly sights in his years as a detective.

Olivia threw him a questioning look as she emerged outside with Casey; they led her to a waiting ambulance as the paramedics from a second one ran into the house. Casey looked at him and knew why he'd thrown up, the thought of her actions making her go into full blown panic mode, not only was her sister dead, she'd died with a sickening 'C' carved into her stomach. Casey couldn't begin to imagine how she'd be able to face her family again, how could she look her parents in the eye knowing that she'd done something that cruel to her younger sister. She'd never be able to look herself in the eye again, or ever forgive herself. Never be able to look her niece and nephew in the eyes knowing she'd played a horrific part in their mother's death.

xxxx

"Olivia go with Casey to the hospital, Fin will meet you there with the Novak's." Cragen said calmly watching as the paramedics tried to calm Casey down who was hyperventilating, mumbling over and over again that she was sorry, that she didn't have a choice.

"Amy?" Olivia asked but there was no response aside from him just telling her to go with Casey. Olivia looked over at Eliot who was still trying to compose himself after being sick, that told her more than enough, and helped her to understand Casey's reaction. Olivia wiped away a tear that had escaped before running her hands though her hair and stepping into the ambulance with Casey who was now positioned on the bed. Reaching out she took hold of Casey's hand giving it a gentle squeeze, it seemed to relax the attorney a little as the doors were shut and the ambulance raced away from the Grant house.

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	10. Chapter 10

Change of situation - SVU

Chapter 10

They were greeted at the hospital by Mary, George Sr and Cody Novak, relief was evident on their face when they spotted Casey. Straight away Casey found herself embraced by her sobbing mother, being checked over by her before being allowed to be guided away by the doctors for a full check up. Even in her mother's embrace Casey felt guilty, knowing that she was there and Amy was somewhere else simply made the guilt increase.

xxxx

"Thank god she's safe." Cody sighed sitting down in a chair next to his father; Olivia could see how happy he was to know that his twin sister was ok. The four remained in silence for a few moments before George asked after his youngest child as if suddenly remembering her.

"How come she's not here?" Cody asked his face full of confusion, he only just registered that his younger sister's name hadn't been mentioned. Olivia couldn't work out how to respond, luckily the doctor emerged saying that they could go in and see Casey diverting their attention away from Amy.

xxxx

Olivia guessed that they'd given the woman something to calm her down but tears still continued to stream down her face, looking at her mother Casey simply said she was sorry before sobbing even more. At that Cody left the room, he couldn't bear to see his twin in such a state, Casey was a broken woman. Olivia left the 3 of them in the room and went outside to sit next to Cody who had his head in his hands.

"If she's that bad Christ knows what happened to them." He sighed before asking Olivia what state Amy was in.

"I don't know, I didn't see her." Was Olivia's honest response and following Eliot's reaction she wasn't about to guess, she'd never seen him react that way and as a result was full of dread. "But it wasn't good." She added and Cody nodded, his eyes red from crying and his heart breaking just that little bit more as he tried to process what had happened to his sisters.

xxxx

After what seemed like an eternity they moved Amy, they couldn't move her until they stabilized her, but they couldn't stabilize her until her heart was beating again. Each time the defibrillator had been used to try restart her heart Eliot had cringed, holding his breath each time he'd heard the shocking noise. Then after what felt like ages there was the faint steady sound of a heartbeat, he'd never been so happy to hear a beep in his own life, but there it was, beep, beep, beep, beep. Slow, faint but there, she was still alive. Eliot, 2 paramedics, Munch and 2 of the SWAT team helped get her body onto a stretcher, moving her slowly through the house and gently placing her in the ambulance where her heart stopped beating again. Eliot held his breath as she was shocked yet again, this time her heart kicked in straight away and the order was given to speed to the hospital as fast as possible.

xxxx

Casey was placed in a drug induced sleep as she was too agitated to settle even with the sedation, she couldn't stop saying sorry and sobbing. It was difficult to watch, horrifying to try to imagine what she was going through, Olivia couldn't stand it so had to go and stand outside, calling Cragen for an update on how things were going back at the house as she hadn't heard anything from Eliot.

"What's happening?" Olivia asked hoping for some good news at long last.

"Eliot just left in the ambulance with her, she's very unstable, but clinging on," Cragen replied, his voice low and tired. "Olivia there's a strong chance she's not going to make it." He said with a sad sigh and Olivia leaned against the wall for support wondering how she was going to break the news to the people sat in the waiting room.

xxxx

Jack almost flew into the waiting room with Fin behind him, they'd managed to beat the ambulance, and straight away he was embraced by Cody who told him to be strong for their girl.

"They said she may not survive the journey." Jack replied, his words caused Mary to collapse back into her chair sobbing heavily, the emotions of the last few days truly overwhelming her. "At least the man responsible is dead." He added taking small comfort from that fact, he was trying desperately to be strong, the little information he'd been told crushing him, and from what he knew of Casey's condition he daren't think too much about the state his wife would be in when she did finally make it to the hospital.

xxxx

Eliot walking into the room 20 minutes later told them she'd arrived; his nod after Olivia asked him if she'd made it giving little reassurance to the family, they were preparing for the worst where Amy was concerned. Casey was still sleeping on a ward when the doctor told them Amy's heart had stopped again, but they'd restarted it and had rushed her into surgery to try and remove the two bullets that were still embedded in her leg and chest. Cody, Mary, George and the other Novak's took it in turns at Casey's bedside and the cold waiting room, Jack remained there constantly waiting for the doctor to arrive to tell them what was happening. He wasn't going anywhere without knowing what was happening to his wife.

xxxx

"Mr Grant we're sorry to inform you that your son was killed in an incident this afternoon." Cragen said taking a seat opposite the man who was chained to his chair. Don was surprised to note that his head dropped in sadness and a sigh quickly followed.

"Never was the most intelligent person." He said placing before asking how he died. Don watched the man's face with interest as he was told of the circumstances surrounding the death of his only child. Grants eyes lit up when he was told how his son had abducted the two women and had held them captive until his death. "He said he was going to get revenge, he should have planned it better." The cold voice added, for a second Don thought he was going to throw up but then he found his resolve, remembering what the man before him had done to his youngest detective.

"You tried to help though; we've found the evidence in the house proving you helped him. Letters on the best way to grab someone, the best rooms in the house to keep people. We got it all, and I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life rotting away in here with people knowing exactly what you did." With that Don stood up and stormed out, holding out his hand he found it was shaking slightly from anger, never before had he ever felt so much animosity towards a criminal. He was still concerned that after 4 hours there'd still been no update on Amy's condition.

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	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jack felt like he'd spent far too many hours sat in hospitals waiting for his wife, he just wanted her to be safe at home with their children, not in the hospital yet again unsure of what was happening next. He'd tried to find out what had happened but the detectives with him weren't giving anything away, Fin simply said that she was in a critical condition and they were on their way to the hospital. The hardest thing had been that Casey had been released first, Mary and George had been full of joy when the call came to say Casey was on route to the hospital, the agonising wait afterwards until they'd found out about Amy was horrifying. He just wondered what was happening behind those doors. Casey was still in her drug induced sleep but he wasn't sure he could see her if she wasn't, knowing that she was the one ok and Amy was fighting for survival.

"Just a few marks around her wrists, the odd bruise, and minor dehydration." Cody had told their brother George Jr when he'd arrived, Jack almost balked at the description of the injuries, he'd seen the look on Eliot's face when he'd asked about his wife, there was a slight fear in the wise detective's eyes that the lawyer hadn't liked the look of.

xxxx

"Mr McAllister." The doctor said little over an hour later emerging from the operating room.

"How is she?" Jack asked standing up feeling a sense of déjà vu; he'd been in the same position a few years before when Amy had ended up in a coma when she was pregnant with the twins.

"Your wife must have a guardian angel," the doctor smiled. "We almost lost her a couple of times on the table but we managed to stabilize her and repair the internal damage caused by the shot to the chest. As well as the blood loss she's suffered from a collapsed lung and 4 broken ribs, but that'll all heal. Her leg will recover fine with some extensive physiotherapy."

"She'll love that." Jack breathed with a slight smile of relief before allowing the doctor to continue.

"And the wound on her abdomen is largely superficial, fingers crossed it won't leave too much of a scar." He finished watching the relief spread across the face of the man in front of him, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Can I see her?" Jack asked running his hands through his hair as he processed the list of injuries his wife had sustained.

"She's in recovery now; you'll be able to see her soon." The doctor finished with a smile. Jack nodded before firmly shaking the doctor's hand; he was thrilled that his wife had pulled through.

xxxx

Casey woke up to see bright lights above her and felt an uncomfortable mattress beneath her, it took a few moments for her to remember that they'd been rescued and that she was in hospital, they'd left Amy in the room after she'd been shot. Then everything else came flooding back to her about what she'd done and she started sobbing again.

"Hey sweetie it's ok." Her mother said taking hold of her hand, Casey looked around to see both her parents, her twin and Olivia sat around the bed, she wondered how long she'd been there with their pained and tired expressions.

"I'm sorry." Casey said through her tears and her mother reached over to give her a hug, trying to relax her middle daughter but it was a pointless task. "Where's Amy?" Casey asked turning to look at Olivia who she knew would be the one most likely to tell her the truth; Casey held her breath in case she got the news that her sister was dead.

"Alive, she's in the ICU at the moment until they take her off of the ventilator," Casey looked panicked as Olivia spoke. "She suffered some internal damage; they just want to give her system a bit of recovery time." Olivia added and Casey nodded full of relief that her sister was alive.

xxxx

"Phone found in the house matches the number that has been calling the McAllister's, they've found all the plans, and plenty of evidence." Munch told Eliot as they sat in the squad room a few hours later. "Physically at least we can start to put things away, but emotionally..." Munch trailed off and Eliot nodded, he wasn't able to sleep thinking of the injuries Amy had sustained, especially her stomach, he hoped that Casey would get over what she'd done.

"Of the two I think Amy will recover emotionally the fastest, I think part of her knew she'd be taken in order for Casey to be returned." Eliot mused, "She's tough, determined and ready to die for her family." He sighed. "Whereas Casey is a little more unsure, the more fragile of the two given recent events, she has to live with the knowledge of what she's done to her sister." He let the sentence hang in the air; he just hoped the two sisters would be able to face one another and rebuild their relationship.

xxxx

Amy moved gently trying to stretch out the pain in her leg cursing herself for getting shot at her own hands with her own gun, she ached all over and the beeping coming from the machine connected to her finger was starting to get on her nerves. She knew it was bad, but she knew she was safe in a hospital, and the scent of aftershave in the air told her that her husband was there with her, and that made her feel comfortably safe, but there was something missing, or rather something's missing.

"The babies?" Amy asked in a croaky voice getting her husband's attention

"With my parents, but we can get them here if you want." Jack said softly stroking her head, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently. He was impressed with how quickly she'd come round after they'd removed her from the ventilator, he'd been allowed to stay with her the entire time after how she'd reacted last time she'd been in hospital, the last thing they wanted was for her to shut down emotionally, and having Jack there would help prevent that.

"Just as long as they're safe," Amy smiled closing her eyes a little, "Casey?" Jack told her Casey was ok, and in another ward, he'd not seen her but told her that their parents said she was doing ok. "He's dead isn't he? I heard the shots, those SWAT guys don't miss." It was more of a statement than a question but Jack still told her it was the case; she smiled before saying that it was over. Jack held onto her hand as she fell back to sleep, he too quickly drifting off holding onto his wife's hand.

xxxx

"She's looking well considering." Olivia said to Casey who was sat up in bed, once she'd learned her sister was ok Casey had refused to speak, a frightened look permanently etched on her face. Olivia could tell she was replaying the whole ordeal over and over again and she doubted she'd be ok until she'd seen her sister with her own two eyes, but no matter what they said they couldn't get Casey out of her bed and up to the ward they'd moved Amy to. She wouldn't talk about it, or acknowledge what had happened; she didn't even say anything when they told her she could go home with her parents. The only response they got was a tear rolling down the redhead's cheek when she was told that Grant Sr had been charged for his involvement with the abduction.

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	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Olivia was amazed at how well Amy was doing just a few days after her rescue, the last time she'd been hospitalized she'd been unresponsive but she was the complete opposite on this occasion. Amy was sat up in bed, recovering quickly and smiling with her children sat on the bed with her, Eliot had mentioned Amy having a new inner strength and Olivia realised she was right. This time Amy had two huge reasons to want to get better and she was getting better, she'd dealt with what she'd been through whilst she'd been going through it so now she was ready to start moving on, and that began with recovering enough to be let out of hospital.

"Did she get home ok?" Amy asked spotting Olivia entering the room, Ellen and Ethan waved at the familiar face before getting back to snuggling with their mother, one on either side each with an arm resting on their mother. Olivia nodded before saying that there'd been no change. Amy hadn't been allowed to go see Casey because she was still hooked up to several machines; she'd had to threaten to leave the hospital when they'd almost refused to let the twins in to see her.

"How are you feeling?" Olivia asked sitting down next to the bed and smiling as Ethan stuck his tongue out at her. Olivia returned the expression before turning her attention back to Amy.

"Glad it's all over, exhausted, in pain, but safe." Amy admitted allowing her daughter to snuggle into her further, the little girl hadn't slept without her mother around her so was quickly drifting off in her mother's embrace regardless of the fact that they were in a hospital room. "I just wish Casey was the same." She added and Olivia nodded in understanding, there was no doubt that Amy had processed the events of the last few days and was determined to make the most of what she was left with. Because as far as Amy was concerned she had everything to live for, and two of the things were there with her now.

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Casey sat in her childhood bedroom a week later, she'd hardly spoken and hadn't slept much since being released, she was aware that her parents were considering having her admitted back into hospital but she didn't care. She kept on being told that Amy was doing well, making progress, but it didn't make her feel any better, didn't make the feeling of guilt go away. She didn't think that the feeling would go until she had seen her sister but she couldn't bring herself to see her, each time she thought of Amy she now thought of the feeling of the knife in her hands, the sight of the blood and the look in her sister's eye telling her to just do it. That for Casey was the hardest part, knowing that Amy had told her to do it in such a calm way, her fear nowhere near as extreme as Casey's had been even though she had more to lose.

"I thought I'd find you in here." Amy said making her way into the bedroom with crutches to guide her; she was smiling even though it was obvious that she was in pain. Amy managed to catch Casey's eye for a second but the older woman quickly turned her attention back to the window she was staring out of. "Ok, we've done this before only last time I was the one with the hump, and you were the interfering one." Amy sighed plonking herself down on her old bed, she always found it amazing that their parents had changed most of the bedrooms in the house aside from the room she and Casey had shared as kids. They'd kept hold of the twin beds and the teddies that the girls had collected; it was a safe environment for both girls. Amy liked that she could go there and feel secure; she just wished Casey could share that feeling with her. "Now I warn you, if you do what I did and run out of here I'm not going to go running after you, in a couple of months maybe but not now. However if you hit me I will hit you back, and I promise I'll hit you hard that you'd hit me." Casey grimaced at the joke but Amy was pleased she got some response from her sister. "I would have come sooner only they just let me out this morning." Amy added deciding that the best thing she could do was just ramble on until she annoyed her sister so that she said something back. "I tell you what, having a bath at home is a luxury you forget about in hospital. I even missed the constant interruptions from Jack and the kids." Amy smiled, with them she was never left in peace in the bath, dropping off toys, coming in for kisses, asking where things were. Leaning back on the pillows and placing her hands on the back of her head Amy let out a contented sigh, once she was comfortable she continued with her babbling on.

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She'd been going for half an hour when Mary brought them both up a drink, Casey looked at her mother for the first time in a few days and Mary smiled. By now Mary knew about the damage Casey had done to her sister but it hadn't changed how gentle she'd been, how well she'd looked after her. Even Cody hadn't changed, and he was incredibly close to Amy, when Grant had last been on the scene he'd been who Amy had run too, he'd stopped her from scrubbing off her birth mark, and he hadn't changed at all in how he treated his twin sister. That was something Casey was having a problem with, she hated herself but nobody else seemed to hate her, not even Jack. And now Amy was there as if nothing had happened, jabbering on and not asking her why she'd done it.

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"Why aren't you mad at me?" Casey shouted another half an hour later turning to her sister who was now chatting about the long range weather forecast. "Why? I don't understand!" Casey asked turning to face her sister who was still comfortable on the bed. Casey slowly moved and sat on the bed that was hers looking her sister in the eye to try and read her emotions, hoping to see anger and resentment but fearing it too. "Why did you tell me to do it? Why did you tell me if I loved you I had to do it?" Casey said breaking down, her desperate sobs tugging at her younger sister's heartstrings. Gently Amy eased herself off of the bed and over to where her sister sat on her own bed, placing an arm around her older sister Amy pulled her into her for a huge hug, a maternal hug that was meant to make Casey feel safe, she slowly rocked backwards and forwards as Casey continued to sob. Amy placing a gentle kiss atop the attorney's head as the sobs stilled and Casey moved backwards once again making eye contact with her sister. "Why?" Was all Casey asked in a quiet voice.

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	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I knew there was no other option, and I couldn't let you be killed for something like that." Amy said in a gentle voice, taking hold of Casey's hand and caressing it gently with her thumb. "You had no choice Casey." And Amy meant it, telling Casey there was no other option and if he wanted Amy dead he would have done it himself, that was something Amy was sure of, he'd want to have the pleasure and satisfaction of doing that himself, and she knew it would have been a slow and painful experience.

"You wouldn't have done it; you'd have turned the knife on him regardless of the gun in your head." Casey simply stated sniffing breaking eye contact. Amy tried to argue that they didn't know that, they couldn't know that as had Amy been taken first Casey would have been safe. "You've have at least tried." Casey said looking into her sister's eyes again, dreading seeing some hidden anger in them. Again Casey saw no anger in her sister's eyes, only love and understanding.

"If you want me to be angry for what happened it's not going to happen," Amy stated matter of factly, "the rule book goes out of the window in situations like that and we can't know what would have happened if things had been different." Amy said holding Casey tighter. "But what I do know is that we both made it out of there alive, we're still here able to have this conversation and that's all that matters now." Amy sighed. "We both know that the past can torment you, can make you fearful and almost cost you the most important things in life." Amy was talking from experience, a few years ago she'd almost lost Jack through her fear of moving on and making a new start, but he'd been the one to find her and bring her home, helping her to move on, she thought of the irony that it had been Grant's doing that time and this time.

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"What about what happened before?" Casey asked almost afraid of the answer, she still replayed their last conversation before she was taken and wished she could take it back. Amy didn't move, she just sat there for a moment letting the emotions and words from that conversation come back to her. Taking a deep breath she spoke.

"We've gone through something much harder than that, and when you were taken if I could have traded places with you I would have, even knowing what I'd be leaving behind." Amy said. "You're my sister and I love you, what we said hurt, and we can't take it back, but we can move on." Amy let out a deep breath. "You know before I got Jack I was jealous of you, you had no fear, no ties, nothing really haunting you, you went to college, played sports, had a great group of friends. Then you got a great job, that got you respect, a professional. I was a rookie cop working on the streets still sleeping with the nightlight on and scared of having sex with my first and only boyfriend." Casey nodded in understanding, she had a pretty good life when she was younger, and since then a lot of her misery had been caused by her own mistakes.

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"But everything worked out for you in the end." Casey said and it was Amy's turn to nod, she also smiled.

"Yeah it did, because I accepted that I needed to get over things and move on with my life, now it's your turn." Amy replied not meaning to sound as blunt as she had done, she clarified by explaining that Casey needed to try and get out there again, do the things that she used to enjoy, call up her old friends and let her hair down. "The rest will sort itself out in time, like they say time heals old wounds." Casey winced at that statement thinking of her sister's stomach. She couldn't get the image of the blood stained 'C' she'd carved out of her head, her eyes closing as she saw Amy standing up and lifting up her jumper to reveal a bandage. "Casey open your eyes." Amy half asked half instructed. Casey opened them to see Amy peeling back the bandage revealing a bright red 'C', a tear fell down her cheek as she took in how big it was and how sore it looked.

"I can't believe I hurt you." Casey stated watching as Amy covered it back up.

"Superficial, shouldn't even scar if I look after it properly, it hurt then but it doesn't hurt now, like our argument." Amy replied pulling her jumper back down and sitting back on the bed. "We'll be ok." She added hugging Casey again.

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"That took bravery." Olivia sighed after she'd told Eliot what Casey had told her, it had been over a week since Amy had been to see Casey and since then Casey had started to recover emotionally, she was talking to people again, and at Amy's suggestion she was seeing a psychologist to help her get over things. It would take a while but she was on the right track.

"But Amy's stronger now, like you said before she's got more things to fight for, I know when I get injured the thought of the kids keeps me going." He admitted, and that's what had spurred Amy on, spending time with the children, waking up after she'd been rescued to the familiar smell of her husband, making her feel safe in an instant.

"I'm just glad that they're finding a way through all this." Olivia said thinking life would be good with the two sisters back on speaking terms.

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	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Cragen asked Amy, it was 6 weeks later and Amy was due to be returning to work, she'd recovered incredibly quick given the extent of her injuries, and it was largely to due to how quickly she'd dealt with the emotional issues.

"No Captain, nothing at all, this isn't something I've rushed into either." She replied and he nodded in understanding before allowing her to leave the office.

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"Why?" Olivia asked Amy as she sat down at her desk and told Olivia what she'd just done, Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing, Amy loved her job and now she was leaving it. "You love being a detective." Olivia stated.

"I do but I love being with the children more," Amy replied looking at the photo of her twins on the desk before turning back to face Olivia. "At work I felt guilty for leaving them, at home I felt guilty for not being at work. I think I need to take time out to be with them, be a better wife and mother. I'm not saying I'm going to be at home forever, there's things I want to do. You know go to college, get my official counselling qualification, maybe become a teacher? I don't know what I'm going to do but I'll be doing it for me and the kids. Some parents would kill to be able to afford to stay home, and what's the point in paying for someone else to look after them when the best person to do that is me?" Amy finished, Olivia noted that she looked relaxed and happy with her decision. The fact that she really was happy with it was enough for Olivia, she understood that Amy wanted to be a good mother, and knew that she already was a good one, especially if she was ready to give up her career for her children. She also knew that the decision had possibly been on the cards for a while; Amy had considered giving up her career not long after they were born, and it wasn't something she had rushed into deciding.

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"Detective McAllister is no more, all hail Mrs McAllister." Casey led the toast on her sister's leaving party; it had been 8 weeks since Amy had told Cragen she was leaving. Casey still couldn't believe her sister was leaving the Police Department but respected her decision, the younger woman had been a lot more relaxed since making her decision and seemed happier than she had been in months without her attentions being split between home and work.

"Yes, good plain Mrs McAllister with no more paperwork to fill in, no more reports to write, no more raids at stupid o'clock in the morning." She started with a smile, although she had cleared her backlog of paperwork before leaving the 1-6 for the last time that afternoon.

"No more handsome detectives greeting you with coffee and a muffin in the mornings." Eliot interrupted handing her a drink and sitting down at the table next to her, it was an unspoken rule that Eliot bought the girls breakfast at least once a week.

"No more annoying detectives giving you their paperwork to do." Olivia added referring to the time Eliot had bribed Amy into writing a set of reports for him, a set that had taken her all night to do.

"No conspiracy theories from your favourite conspiracy master." Fin said joining them and looking at Munch who simply smiled.

"Nobody to seal your chocolate." Munch added recalling the time Fin had taken her chocolate bar from on top of her desk, it was her emergency stash and she'd needed it that day.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing? Will you cope with such a change in situation?" Casey asked with a smile, knowing how much her sister was going to miss her colleagues, they'd grown incredibly close over the last few years.

Amy smiled thinking of how happy Ellen had been when she told her Mummy would be staying at home with her and Ethan. Ellen had screamed in delight and done a little dance before running off to tell Ethan mummy could play with them all the time. Jack had come up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I'd do a happy dance but I prefer this." He'd said kissing her gently. Looking at her family she knew it was the right decision.

"You know what I think I'll mange." Amy replied honestly whispering into her sister's ear, "and this pregnancy should be a lot easier than the last one." She answered placing a hand over her stomach as Casey spat her drink out over Munch's face.

"Really?" Casey asked excitedly as Munch wiped his face, Amy nodded, it was early days but she knew she could tell her sister, and Casey's expression was worth it. Amy smiled as her sister gave her a hug. Casey smiled at her sister seeing her so happy and relaxed, knowing Amy was like that after everything she'd been through; it gave Casey hope that she'd eventually find her own way to happiness.


End file.
